Mercedes-Benz previews new GLE interior

German brand teases SUV's new tech

Mercedes-Benz previews new GLE interior

German brand teases SUV's new tech

Mercedes-Benz previews new GLE interior

05 Jul 2018Greg Kable

Mercedes-Benz has provided the first official preview to the interior of its new GLE SUV in a series of sketches ahead of a planned public premiere for the new upmarket SUV at the Paris motor show in September.

As with other recent new Mercedes-Benz models, the GLE adopts twin digital displays for the instruments and infotainment functions within a single panel. But unlike the free-standing units used by the A-, E-, G- and S-class, the digital panel in the new GLE is mounted below the upper section of the dashboard in a move the German car maker’s interior design boss, Hartmut Sinkwitz, says provides it with a more integrated appearance.

“We wanted to integrate the panel more seamlessly. It provides a greater feeling of sturdiness,” says Sinkwitz, who has played an important part in the transformation of the interior design in Mercedes-Benz models in recent years.

The panel supports two 12.3 inch digital displays as standard equipment. They are supported by a new multi-function steering wheel featuring 18 separate controls, including two touch-sensitive pads within the horizontal spokes, as well as a larger touch pad within the centre console – the latter of which replaces the rotary dial used by the outgoing GLE.

As with the new A-Class (above), the instruments and infotainment system operate via a new MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) interface that supports conversational speech commands and information gathering via the Mercedes Me app.

Sinkwitz suggests improvements in cooling has allowed Mercedes-Benz to better integrate the digital instrument and infotainment panel within the GLE.

“We’ve improved the operation. There’s less heat build-up (behined the panel) than we had before,” he told Drive.

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Further interior elements of the new GLE (pictured above in our exclusive artists illiustration) previewed in the official sketches issued by Mercedes-Benz include a near to vertical steering wheel and wide centre console featuring two prominent grab handles. As in the existing GLE, the gear selection is handled by a so-called direct shift stalk on the steering column rather than a traditional gear lever – a measure that frees up space for two large cup holders within the forward section of the centre console.

Known under the internal codename W167, the 2019-model-year GLE is described by senior officials from Mercedes-Benz’s R&D headquarters in Germany as a “clean sheet design” with little relationship to the current model, which was originally launched under the M-class name in 2011 prior to being rebadged as part of a mid-life facelift in 2015.

At the heart of the new SUV is the German car maker’s MHA (Modular High Architecture) platform. Heavily related to the MRA (Modular Rear Architecture) platform that underpins the C-, E and S-class, the new structure has been conceived for Mercedes-Benz models featuring a high ground clearance, including the upcoming GLE and GLE Coupe as well as successor models to today’s GLC and GLS.